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The Funeral Service on 9th December, 2022 |
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John Dawlings - Orwell 64 to 71: I have great memories of being taught music by your dad. HIS memories of teaching ME may not be so enthusiastic though!
Jon Kemp - Corners 73 to 80: I was in the school orchestra (First Violins) and I can say your Dad's 'conducting mannerisms' were exactly the same back then as they appear to be now. As a first former he introduced me (us) to Handel's Messiah, Schubert's Trout, Bach's Sheep that were safely grazing and Peter and his duck-eating Wolf amongst others. The school musical performances were pretty dammed good, and that was mainly down to your Dad.
Harvey Angel - Hansons 64 to 71: I played trumpet in the orchestra for a while alongside the excellent Ian Redway. I couldn't always reach the high notes, so, rather than play the wrong note I let Ian play them on his own. Now, I thought for many years that I'd always got away with it, but when I mentioned it to your dad a couple of years ago he said, "Of course I knew when you weren't playing but I let you think you'd fooled me!" Didn't miss a trick, the old bugger!!
Chris Snuggs - Berners/Halls 58 to 64: Barry was a hero to anyone who did music at the school. Wow, here was a guy who actually wrote music! We hadn't realized that ordinary people could do that, only Mozart and the like. But then perhaps Barry wasn't 'ordinary'! Creative, cheerful, encouraging, patient, he got it all together, he got things done. He performed, and he got us to perform. He played a massive part in the creation of the Woolverstone musical legend, and it was a privilege to have learned and played with him.
"Janus" Summer 1963 - Larry Howes
Mr. Salmon's arrival at the beginning of the year was eagerly awaited by all the supporters of Woolverstone's music. Was the order to be Byrd or Britten, Oratorios or quartets? It was soon apparent that every taste would be catered for. Immediately, the dilapidated remnant of the choir was rebuilt and enlarged, and it is hoped it will soon attain a high standard. Unfortunately, rehearsals have been somewhat thwarted by bad attendance - a regrettable show of apathy which will, I trust, not be repeated.
Nevertheless a number of anthems have been successfully sung. The Christmas term provided opportunities for the choir, and some instrumentalists, to play in 'Mother Courage', where the music was specially composed by Mr. Salmon, and in the Carol Service. For others, there was the jazz concert at the end of term. The musical highlight came in February with 'Amahl and the Night Visitors', a triumph of weeks of fervent practice.
Once again a large number of school musicians took part. Then, of course, there were House Concerts and Concerts in Ipswich, where more people could profitably take advantage of the excellent opportunities. The Spring term was rounded off with a chamber music concert, and it is hoped that there will be more such occasions in future, when musicians will play for pleasure off their own bat. In this respect there has been much encouragement, particularly from Mr. Salmon, Mr. Thornbery and Mr. Matthews, who have encouraged boys, reluctant as ever, to play for their own enjoyment.
Finally, mention must be made of the Junior Orchestra, for which both Mr. Salmon and Simon Crawford have put in much effort and manuscript-paper. The large attendance to this and the junior percussion groups seems to ensure that we can confidently look forward to a flourishing musical life in years to come. |
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Dear Barry
It has been an enormous pleasure to see you a couple of times in the last year and I was very touched by the kind reception you gave me. I fear that I will never find the words to do adequate justice to what your work meant for me - and certainly others - when I was at WHS. In collaboration with other legendary masters of course (and I don’t use the word lightly) you made music in all its forms something really special - and over so many years. I was not a passionate or natural musician, but THAT WAS THE POINT; music at WHS was NOT just for “musicians” - we all had every chance to get involved - which of course brings Derek Thornbery to mind as well.
I left WHS as someone who knew he would not be involved in music professionally (or even amateurally) in any serious way after school, and I remember to this day quite clearly thinking something along the lines of the following, though I didn’t at the time internalise it in words: “Well, that is as good as it gets in cultural terms. I will never again be bathed in such a rich cultural environment, never again have the chance to play in an orchestra for a full-scale production of a real opera, never again be part of a little group that played to a packed assembly hall during concert week, never again watch my mates perform “The Magic Flute”. WOW!” And so it has proved. Of course, as a practising teacher myself in various schools since 1972, I have been indirectly involved in music and drama, but nothing ever remotely compared to what we did and experienced at Woolverstone. And you played a huge, huge part, Barry. So thank you for the memories and best wishes for the rest of your retirement.” Chris Snuggs - 2018 |
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